Concrete Sidewalk Building in Kirkland WA - a walk that drains and stays level
Cracked, tilted slabs and puddles on the way to your door? We build a new walk on packed gravel that sheds water.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a new concrete sidewalk in Kirkland?
Concrete sidewalk building in Kirkland means digging out the old path or bare ground, packing a firm base, and pouring a new concrete walk sloped so water runs off it instead of toward your house. Most of the job happens before the concrete truck shows up.
Most people call us when the walk to the front door has heaved, cracked or turned into a puddle, or when there's no walk at all and a dirt path is worn across the lawn. The price moves with the length and width of the walk, whether anything will drive across it, whether an old walk has to be broken out and hauled off, and how easy it is to get equipment to the spot. The schedule turns on the season, the weather and whether part of the walk needs a city permit first. We're based in Kirkland and take jobs in King County and south Snohomish County, and once I've seen your walk, I send a written estimate with your price on it.
How do you know your sidewalk needs replacing?
Slabs that lift at seams
If one section sits higher than the next, that lip is where people catch a toe, and it usually means roots or soft, unpacked ground moved the slab. The lip keeps growing as the ground shifts, and grinding or patching the edge rarely holds for long.
Water that sits there
Puddles that linger after rain, or water running off the walk toward your foundation, mean the slab has settled or was never sloped right. Standing water keeps the ground under it soft, so a walk like that usually keeps sinking the longer you wait.
A top that flakes off
When the surface chips, flakes or leaves grit on your shoes, the top layer was usually weak from day one, often from a hot midday pour or one finished too wet. It won't get better, and once the stone underneath shows, a new walk is usually the smarter money.
How we build a concrete sidewalk
Before I price anything, I ask whether a car, a trailer or a lawn tractor will ever drive or park on the walk, because that changes how we build it, from how thick we pour to whether we add rebar, the steel bars that hold the slab together if it cracks. If an old walk has to come out first, I look at how we'll get equipment back there before I give you a number. On the job, we break out and haul off any old concrete, dig down to the subgrade, the firm soil the walk sits on, and pack a gravel base over it, then set forms that slope the walk away from your house. We pour early in the day so the top doesn't bake, give it a broom finish, a brushed texture that's easy on wet shoes, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that tell the slab where to crack, while the concrete is still young. Concrete cracks, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something, but the joints put those cracks where you'll barely notice them. If the budget is tight, I'd rather you skip a fancy finish than cut corners on the base, because the base gets buried on day one and it decides whether the walk stays flat.
A new walk often ends at the garage door, and if that slab is cracked or sinking, we can plan garage floor concrete alongside the walk so the heights line up. If plain gray isn't what you want out front, decorative concrete like color or a stamped border can dress up the walk without changing what goes under it.
Front walk to the door
Suits the path from the driveway or street to your front steps, where a level surface and a clean look both matter. We pay extra attention to slope here, since this walk usually runs right along the house.
Side yard or backyard path
Good for getting to a shed, a gate or the trash cans without tracking mud. These are often narrower and lighter-duty than a front walk, but they still get the same dug-out, packed base.
Tear out and replace
For a walk that's heaved, cracked or sunk past saving. We break it out and fix what's under it, because new concrete over the same bad ground just gets you the same walk back.
Get a free on-site estimate for your new sidewalk
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the walk with you, then send a written estimate, with no obligation.
- Based in
- Kirkland, WA 98033
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about a new sidewalk?
Here's how a sidewalk job runs from your first call to the day we walk the finished slab with you.
Call or send the form
Tell us roughly how long the walk is, where it runs on the lot, whether anything will drive on it and whether an old walk comes out. We set a time for me to come out and see it.
I look at it with you
I check the ground, where the water goes and how we'll reach the spot, and I find out which city or county office covers your address. Then I send a written estimate that lays out the base, thickness and finish, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
We prep, pour and finish
If the work needs a city permit, city staff review it first, and how long that takes depends on their workload and staffing, so we plan the start around the approval and the inspections. Then we dig out, pack the base, set forms, pour and finish, and certified city inspectors check the permitted work.
Walk the finished job together
When it's done, we clean up and walk the new sidewalk with you. I'll tell you how long to stay off it while it cures, the wait that lets concrete reach its strength before it takes weight.
Why Kirkland homeowners call Precision Kirkland Concrete for walks
I estimate it and pour it
I come out to look at your walk and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site with our crew on pour day. The person who told you the base would be packed right is standing on it when the truck shows up.
Flatwork in Kirkland since 2020
I started this business in Kirkland in 2020, and flatwork, the flat slabs like driveways, patios, walks and garage floors, is what we're best known for. A sidewalk is the core of what we do, not something we squeeze in between other jobs.
Licensed and insured
We're licensed and insured. That matters when a crew is breaking out concrete and running equipment a few feet from your house, because you shouldn't be the one carrying that risk.
On a walk, the part that counts most is the base nobody sees once it's poured. Send us the details or call (425) 285-8195, and I'll come take a look. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Building sidewalks and the work around them in Kirkland
Where the walk sits on your lot decides which city rules touch it. Work in the public right of way along the street needs a permit from Kirkland Public Works. The city's permit exemption list includes sidewalks 30 inches or less above grade, but those exemptions don't cover flood hazard, wetland, steep slope, shoreline or other critical areas, and a Parcel Report from the city's Property Search Tool shows whether any of those apply to your address. Zoning still applies whether or not a building permit is needed, so a walk near a property line still has to meet setbacks and lot coverage limits, and the city's Planning division at 425-587-3600 can confirm them. We check which office covers your address before we start, and when your walk needs a permit, we can file it for you or help you file it.
Rain is the other thing we plan around. In western Washington it can damage fresh concrete, so we keep covers on hand while the walk cures, and with this much rainfall the gravel base matters even more for draining water out from under the slab. We deal with the same wet ground on jobs in Bellevue and Redmond.
Questions about concrete sidewalks in Kirkland
How much does a concrete sidewalk cost near Kirkland?
A residential concrete sidewalk in the Seattle area usually costs about $8 to $11.50 per square foot installed, which covers materials, labor and site prep. When an old walk comes out first, access is often the biggest swing in that price, since a front walk that equipment can reach tends toward the low end and a backyard walk broken out by hand and hauled by wheelbarrow can reach or pass the high end. Your own number comes in the written estimate after I've seen the site.
Do I need a permit for a sidewalk in Kirkland?
If any part of the walk is in the public right of way, yes, the work needs a Public Works permit from the city. You apply online through MyBuildingPermit.com, where you can also check review status, and the steps are laid out on Kirkland's right-of-way permit page. For a walk elsewhere on the lot, we check the exemption list, critical areas and zoning for your address before we start.
How thick should a concrete sidewalk be?
Most walkways and sidewalks are around four inches thick. If a car, truck or trailer will drive or park on part of it, that section may need to be thicker, which costs more, so mention it when you ask for a price.
What is the best time of year to build a concrete sidewalk in Washington?
Late spring, April to May, is usually the best bet for weather, and fall, September to October, tends to have less demand. Summer is the busiest season with the longest waits, so booking in spring or fall trades those waits for milder conditions. If you have a date in mind, call early.
Can you pour a concrete sidewalk in winter in Kirkland?
Yes, concrete poured in cold weather still gains its strength and durability when it's properly placed and protected. National industry guidance from the American Concrete Institute treats it as cold weather work once the air drops, or is expected to drop, below 40°F while the concrete still needs protection, and colder air calls for more of it.
How do I pick a finish for a concrete walkway?
For an outdoor walk, a broom finish is what most Seattle-area contractors recommend, because the brushed texture gives you grip when it's wet. Polished concrete can be slippery in wet weather, which around here is a good part of the year. It's your path and your call, and if you want something dressier than plain gray, ask about a decorative finish that keeps some texture.
Concrete work that pairs with a new walk
Garage floor concrete
When the walk leads to a garage with a cracked or sinking floor, a new slab poured to the right height lets the two meet cleanly.
Decorative concrete
For a front walk you want people to notice, color, patterns or a stamped border add looks while the slab underneath gets the same packed base.
Cities where we build concrete sidewalks
Precision Kirkland Concrete is based in Kirkland, WA, and builds walks for homeowners in the cities around it. These 12 cities have their own page, Bothell and Kenmore among them, and if yours isn't listed, call and ask.
Kirkland, WA
Get your new sidewalk priced and planned
Tell us the walk's rough length, where it runs on the lot, whether anything will drive on it and whether an old walk comes out, and I can price it right the first time.